I'd suggest offering a discount  if paid by the first, it gives  them an incentive to get you the money early, and it makes being a landlord a lot easier when rent is solid and steady!   

It only gets easier from here!

I just went through this and they did paint, cleaning and some other repairs in 2 weeks.

I did something similar when I started I picked 3 cities after doing tons of research visited all 3 and made a decision.When I visited I saw they were building a new monorail in CLT and decided to invest there.Another thing to consider to make your life easier is compare flights from your home base.

I had a guy power washing the front of my house and sidewalk while there was someone in the house cleaning.

I had a guy power washing the front of my house and sidewalk while there was someone in the house cleaning.

They look so nice beside the rough finish but I have done it in many projects..the only problem is cleaning abit and have to shave to make smooth in the areas where you put the outlet covers.* 4x4" tumbled travertine around 3.5-4$ per sf* 6"×24" leadger panels around $5-6.5 per panel (sf)Both i think usually less expensive than the mosaic sheets unless you got a deal on them that different story 😉Good LuckNote: pictues are taken from my projects !!!

On a per unit basis its easier to explain... if you can tie the individual apartment unit remodels to expiring leases then you may have a path to reducing your mortgage (by increasing your rental income).

I know easier said than done...but everything is fixable!!

I wouldn't blame the tenant but what I would do is paint the mailbox (and the post holding it up) a random color so if somebody hits it and the paint rubs off it will be easier to figure out who is at fault (as the paint will likely rub on the car that ran into it).